Staff photo / Daniel Newman Parents Randall and Nicole Petrella of North Lima assist their daughters, Abigayle and Madisson, in picking out a family Christmas tree at Stepuk Tree Farm in Canfield on Saturday.

WARREN — For many Valley families, Christmas involves dragging a live pine tree into a living room or hallway for the household to decorate and gaze at for at least the remainder of the year.

Whether big, small, rough or soft, the tree symbolizes togetherness for family members, and visiting local tree farms to cut down a tree together is part of the fun.

For the McBride family of Liberty, going to tree farms in search of the perfect tree each year is something that Ken, the father of their group, said he hopes will continue for generations.

“We go to different places and some don’t have the trees we want, so we try to hit different places,” Ken said Saturday while at Bradley Tree Farm in Vienna. “This was our first stop this year though.”

As for how many years the McBrides have kept the tradition alive, Ken looked at his daughter, Makenzie, and asked “How old are you?”

“Twenty,” Makenzie said.

Vicki McBride, Ken’s wife, said they picked a blue spruce tree from the property because “They smell good.” Ken also said the first tree they ever cut as a family is now planted in their yard at home — at 32 feet — and it still gets decorated.

Phil Miner of Austintown brought his wife, Lois Miner; stepson, Nathan Stevens; and daughter, Layla Miner to Bradley Tree Farm on Saturday, where they took home the top half of an 18-foot tree. He said he works in the tree service business, and that it was the family’s first time at the business.

“We looked at the reviews, and it looked like this place was good, so it’s worth a shot,” Phil said. “We’re just looking for whatever the family would be happy with.”

“Getting a unique tree for the living room, and the family experience, instead of a boxed tree,” is what makes the day special for them, Lois said.

Kate and Rob Campbell of Girard went to Bradley Tree Farm for the first time Saturday to spend time together while picking out a tree.

“I just like the way that it makes the house smell, and the memories that it comes with,” Kate said about their new blue spruce. “We try and make getting a tree a tradition.”

Kate mentioned that they couldn’t get a tree for the past two years because she was in school.

“It’s just the tradition of the family, pictures, and a fun part of Christmas for us,” said Greg Hall, father of Kendra and Michael. “We actually got the buck-rub tree. We’ve been doing it every year since she (Kendra) was born, and she’s 5. It’s just a fun day for all of us, then we’ll get home and they’ll get to decorate it.”

The Crissman family of Canfield spent time at Stepuk Tree Farm to continue its tradition of chopping down a Christmas tree. Brooke Crissman, 23, daughter of Lionel and Dena, is the same age as their tradition, Dena said.

LOCAL TREE FARMS

Local tree farm owners in the Valley recognize their money-making season as a vital element to the celebration.

Dan Bradley, owner of Bradley’s Tree Farm, said business has been “fairly busy” this year, but “probably about the same as last year.” Prices for trees from his farm were kept the same. But two years ago, he said, his rates rose for the first time in a while, and each tree saw an 8% average increase in price.

Bradley further explained that Fraser Fir and Canaan Fir trees are fewer in quantity than usual.

“When COVID hit, a lot of farms shut down early. I stayed open, but it takes about 10 years to grow a tree. … So the firs are going thin. They have softer, shorter needles, and their retention is good. That’s what people like about them.” Both Mike Pieton, owner of 7P Trees in Hubbard, and Bradley, members of the Ohio Christmas Tree Association, also shared that customers began buying their trees earlier than usual this year, some even before Thanksgiving.

“I have no idea why,” Bradley said. “Maybe because they were going to be out of town and just wanted to get things set up. They could have just wanted to make sure they got a nice tree.”

“People who came around Black Friday bought big expensive pre-cuts early on,” Pieton said about the early buyers. “Black Friday is our first big weekend. Then once Santa comes to the store this weekend, there’s a lot of people around. After that, we still sell them, there’s just not as big of a rush. We stay open. We don’t close our doors until all the way through. I’ve sold a tree as late as Jan. 28.”

“It’s about the experience,” Pieton said. And from his family-owned Christmas tree farm, Pieton mentioned that people who purchase trees during the week will likely run into him, alone. But on weekends, “we’ve got the campfire going and people are drinking hot cocoa. And there’s a bunch of kids walking around, looking for the right one. That’s what it’s about,” Pieton said.

Pieton said that some local tree farms closed down in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, but he and other owners remained open, and collaborated to bring in wholesale pre-cut trees for their inventories. Aside from the additional costs for the businesses in transporting the trees, Pieton said that prices for buyers haven’t changed much.

“Maybe a $5 increase to try to make up for the rise in fuel costs,” Pieton continued. “We brought in pre-cut trees with other stores in the area. But people are better off buying ‘you cut’ trees because they’re cheaper.”

The price for cutting your own tree at Wilcox Tree Farm in North Lima is a flat $60 with tax, Kyle Penrod, fiance of owner Heather Wilcox, said. When the farm first opened in 2015, the amount was $45 per tree.

Penrod also mentioned that his farm did not bundle with others to import more trees this year. Instead, he said “We have our own way of getting ours.” The 7-footers were plentiful to start the year, but they “got wiped out right away.”

Usually beginning around Black Friday, with its largest inventory, Wilcox charges $10 per foot for trees below 9 feet, and $12 per foot for those above 9 feet. Penrod suggested that the average prices of trees will have to go up next year.

“We are a little down this year. We don’t have many tall trees left, and we haven’t sold the number we wanted,” Penrod said.

Penrod also said he witnessed a shortage in trees 7 to 9 feet tall this year, and that could be part of the reason business is slightly slower. But he explained the availability of fake trees on the market has not deterred most customers from shopping at Wilcox.

“You only get about one-foot per year in growth, and there’s a whole lot of people buying real trees. Canaan Fir is the most popular. And then there’s White Pine, and Blue Spruce. People are really adamant on wanting to get real trees.”

Regardless of fake trees possibly being more convenient, Penrod explained that the 2,000-square foot gift shop at Wilcox is what he hopes will continue to attract more customers.

“We make our own wreaths and roping in-house, fresh, every year,” Penrod said. “So we’re trying to increase the amount of people coming to buy other things because of the amount of inventory we have… Almost more than (buying) trees.”

Valerie Graham, executive director of the Ohio Christmas Tree Association, said the Canaan Fir’s popularity could be attributed to the seed farm in Granville, which keeps the species “very prevelant” across Ohio. As for shortages, Graham said tree growth is regionally dependent.

“It depends on where you’re located, the type of soil there, but we’re seeing many varieties of trees growing across the state,” Graham said. “Of course the soil in southern Ohio is going to be more beneficial in most cases, than Central or even near Franklin County.”

Graham said families decided that picking out a tree during the pandemic was the perfect opportunity to get outside, in small groups, and enjoy the company of others.

“Picking out a tree was popular, and then it kind of went away for a while. But once COVID hit, people were able to get out of the house for it. Then, more tree farmers introduced the tourism aspects like fires, animals and other festive things. The kids like the experience, and being around nature has become a thing again.”

The act of picking a tree, Graham explained, is something “generational.” She added, “People might think they like that fake tree, but the family experience and joy in going to a tree farm will provide more pleasure, excitement and memories than pulling one out of a box.”

Prices, Graham said, are sure to go up, depending on location. “There’s no set price for the trees,” she said. “Farmers are changing prices for different trees because of what goes into getting and farming them. It takes seven years for that tree to grow.”